Three Mersey care homes ordered to improve after catalogue of failings uncovered

Haven Lea Residential Care Home in Prescot, which was given a 'requires improvement' rating by the Care Quality Commission

Sign up to FREE email alerts from Liverpool Echo - daily

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Three nursing homes were slapped with improvement orders after the care watchdog uncovered a catalogue of failings.

Haven Lea Residential Care Home in Prescot, Eldonian House in Vauxhall and the Leahurst residential facility in Widnes were all given the rating of “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Shocking findings included dirty wheelchairs, staff training that was five years out of date and residents being forced to queue up for their medicine.

Haven Lea Residential Care Home

The 26-bed home in Shaw Lane was slammed in the CQC’s report after inspectors found wheelchairs, walking frames and stand aids were dirty with dust and food debris, leading to a higher risk of infection.

The report added the decor and furniture “showed signs of wear and tear and there was a lack of orientation signs and environmental stimulation for people living with dementia”.

Residents’ care records and medicine logbooks were incomplete, they were often left to sleep or watch TV, leading to a “lack of stimulation”, and managers failed to notify the CQC when residents died in the home – a requirement for social care businesses.

Eldonian House

The 30-bed facility on Eldonian Way still did not have care plans in place for residents admitted as long as seven months ago.

The CQC said the home had not sought consent from residents or their loved ones when they were given new equipment, such as bed rails.

The report added: “Risk assessments and behavioural management plans were not in place for people who presented with behaviour that challenges and staff did not have guidance to keep themselves and other people who lived in the home safe.”

Staff had also not received refresher training for medicine administration since 2010.

The inspectors added: “We found that some people did not always receive medication as prescribed.”

Leahurst

The 26-bed Coronation Drive facility did not have evacuation plans in place to get elderly and vulnerable residents out in an emergency.

The CQC said the home was deep cleaned by infection control experts in March, but “some areas within the home were not clean”.

The report said: “Sufficient numbers of staff were not provided to ensure that the home was cleaned to a high standard and that this standard was maintained.”

It also said inspectors were “concerned that people who live at the home were queuing outside the medicine room for their medications”, potentially robbing them of their dignity and privacy.

The CQC said residents had very few activities to participate in, except for “very basic” packs of cards, bingo and board games.

Meanwhile, care plans were not up to date and there was “no established system for the overall assessment and monitoring of service quality by the registered provider”.